Wed, 19 Dec 2018 07:06:25 GMTUKRAINEIMF approves $4bn financial aid package for Ukrainehttps://www.france24.com/en/20181219-imf-approves-4-billion-financial-aid-package-ukraineThe International Monetary Fund executive board on Tuesday gave final approval to a new loan package for Ukraine and released $1.4 billion for immediate use.ba39cd3c-034b-11e9-834f-005056bf8007Wed, 19 Dec 2018 05:05:38 GMTStephen Jaffe / IMF / AFP (file photo) | Head of the IMF Christine Lagarde and Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko in Washington, DC on June 20, 2017.NEWS WIRESUK - EUUK puts troops on standby as plans for 'no-deal' Brexit stepped uphttps://www.france24.com/en/20181219-uk-puts-troops-standby-plans-no-deal-brexit-stepped-theresa-may-european-unionThe British government on Tuesday said it was allocating two billion pounds ($2.5 billion) to fund Brexit and putting 3,500 troops on stand-by after ministers agreed to make no-deal planning "an operational priority".e24843d6-032c-11e9-a35e-005056bf8007Wed, 19 Dec 2018 01:24:50 GMTJessica Taylor / UK Parliament / AFP | Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement to the House of Commons in London on December 17, 2018.NEWS WIRESBELGIUMBelgian PM Charle Michel resignshttps://www.france24.com/en/video/20181218-belgian-pm-charle-michel-resignsBelgian Prime Minister Charles Michel announced his resignation Tuesday, less than two weeks after his main coalition partner quit in a row over migration, leaving him leading a minority government. Michel, who took office in 2014, lost the backing of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) over his support for the UN migration pact, a cause celebre for European anti-immigration parties. The resignation comes two days after demonstrations against the pact in central Brussels descended into scuffles, with police forced to use tear gas and water cannon to restore order. After a debate in parliament where opposition parties refused to lend their support to allow his government to keep working until legislative elections in May next year, Michel announced he would quit.b02e1a3c-0305-11e9-a0fb-005056a96846Tue, 18 Dec 2018 20:44:16 GMTFRANCE24BELGIUMBelgian PM Charles Michel offers resignation amid nationalist anger over migrantshttps://www.france24.com/en/20181218-belgian-pm-resigns-coalition-comes-under-pressureNationalist anger over migration brought down the Belgian government on Tuesday, forcing Prime Minister Charles Michel to offer the king his resignation.3c99ea32-02fc-11e9-840f-005056a91e0eTue, 18 Dec 2018 19:36:37 GMTBen Stansall, AFP | Belgium's Prime Minister Charles Michel has resigned amid pressure on his government.NEWS WIRESFOCUSIn Ukraine's Donbas region, war rumbles onhttps://www.france24.com/en/20181218-focus-ukraine-donbas-region-war-martial-law-ukrainian-church-russian-backed-forces
Last month, a naval incident saw Russia shoot openly at Ukrainian military personnel for the first time and seize 24 Ukrainian sailors. Ukraine, in response, has declared martial law in ten regions, made good on promises to create an independent Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and ended a treaty of friendship with Russia that was still in force. Little noticed by the world, war rumbles on in the eastern Donbas region, occupied by Russian-backed forces. FRANCE 24's Gulliver Cragg reports.
6813b200-02d0-11e9-9ab2-005056bfe832Tue, 18 Dec 2018 14:22:51 GMTGulliver CRAGGFRANCEFrench toll operator wants drivers to settle up after Yellow Vest damagehttps://www.france24.com/en/20181218-france-business-yellow-vest-vinci-autoroutes-toll-operator-drivers-settle-after-damageMajor French toll road operator Vinci Autoroutes is planning to invoice motorists who drove on without paying during the recent “Yellow Vest” protests in France.5a92a70a-0297-11e9-b141-005056a942d7Tue, 18 Dec 2018 07:34:28 GMTSylvain Thomas, AFP | Yellow Vest protesters at the La Barque toll station near Marseille, France, on December 9, 2018.FRANCE 24HUNGARYHungary state TV hit as 'slave' labour law protests continuehttps://www.france24.com/en/20181218-hungary-state-tv-hit-slave-labour-law-protests-continue-orbanAnti-government protests in Hungary hit the country's public broadcaster on Monday, with the opposition galvanised by the furious reaction to a controversial new labour law.12f72836-0282-11e9-ad98-005056a96846Tue, 18 Dec 2018 05:02:08 GMTPeter Kohalmi / AFP | Protesters outside the headquarter of the Hungarian state television in Budapest on December 17, 2018.NEWS WIRESUNITED KINGDOMUK PM Theresa May says Brexit vote to be held week of Jan 14https://www.france24.com/en/20181217-uk-pm-theresa-may-brexit-vote-jan-14-corbyn-euTheresa May said on Monday she would bring her Brexit deal back to parliament for a mid-January vote, pledging to get assurances from the European Union before then to break a deadlock over Britain's fraught efforts to quit the bloc. 6641da32-021d-11e9-9437-005056bfe832Mon, 17 Dec 2018 17:01:29 GMTTolga Akmen, AFP | A badge reading "Brexit: Is it worth it?" is pictured on the hat of an anti-Brexit activist as they protest outside the Houses of Parliament in London on December 17, 2018.NEWS WIRESFOCUSFour months after Genoa bridge collapse, residents want answershttps://www.france24.com/en/20181217-focus-italy-genoa-morandi-bridge-collapse-reconstruction-locals-residents-want-answers
On December 15, demolition began of what remains of the Morandi bridge - the viaduct near Genoa that collapsed in August, causing the death of 43 people. It's the beginning of a long reconstruction project that will last several months. This Monday, the technical report on the investigation into the cause of the disaster is being presented at a hearing in Genoa. Our Italy correspondent Natalia Mendoza reports on how local people are coping, four months after the tragedy.
ece5fff2-020c-11e9-8cc5-005056bf8007Mon, 17 Dec 2018 15:03:33 GMTNatalia MENDOZAHUNGARYThousands protest Orban government 'slave law' in Budapesthttps://www.france24.com/en/20181217-hungary-thousands-protest-viktor-orban-government-slave-law-budapest-labour-reformProtesters threw smoke grenades at police who responded with tear gas in Budapest on Sunday as thousands of people rallied against a new “slave law” passed by the government of conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orban.a718f2be-01c5-11e9-b82c-005056bf8007Mon, 17 Dec 2018 06:33:22 GMTBernadett Szabo, Reuters | People take part in a protest against a proposed new labor law, billed as the "slave law", in Budapest, Hungary, on December 16, 2018.NEWS WIRESBELGIUMScuffles break out at Belgium protest against UN migration pacthttps://www.france24.com/en/20181217-scuffles-break-out-belgium-protest-against-united-nations-migration-pact-far-rightPolice deployed teargas and water cannon after scuffles broke out Sunday as thousands of people answered a call by far-right groups to reject a UN migration pact.cd235b8a-019c-11e9-9b0b-005056bf02adMon, 17 Dec 2018 01:40:56 GMTJonas Roosens / Belga / AFP | Demonstrators clash with Belgian riot police during a march in Brussels on December 16, 2018 against the UN Marrakech global compact on migration.NEWS WIRESUKRAINEUkraine creates church independent from Russiahttps://www.france24.com/en/20181216-ukraine-creates-orthodox-church-independent-russia-poroshenkoA historic council of Orthodox bishops in Kiev has created a new Ukrainian church independent from Russia, President Petro Poroshenko announced on Saturday.93490f1e-00fb-11e9-956a-005056a942d7Sun, 16 Dec 2018 06:26:50 GMTMykhaylo Markiv, Ukrainian Presidential Press Service, AFP | Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (L) sitting during the historic synod to establish an Orthodox church independent from Russia in Kiev's Saint Sophia Cathedral on December 15, 2018.NEWS WIRESKOSOVOKosovo votes to create its own army, enraging Serbiahttps://www.france24.com/en/20181215-kosovo-votes-create-army-enraging-serbia-nato-usaKosovo on Friday passed laws to build an army, asserting its statehood in a US-backed move that prompted outrage in Serbia, which does not recognise its former province's independence.e59e4a2c-003d-11e9-bf93-005056bfe832Sat, 15 Dec 2018 07:49:04 GMTSasa Djordjevic, AFP | More than 5000 soldiers are likely take part in the Kosovan army.NEWS WIRESPOLANDClimatologist Jean-Pascal van Ypersele 'optimistic' about COP24 talkshttps://www.france24.com/en/video/20181214-climatologist-jean-pascal-van-ypersele-optimistic-about-cop24-talksFormer vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Jean-Pascal van Ypersele tells FRANCE 24 that he expects the COP24 talks in Katowice, Poland, to result in an agreement. One of the key sticking points is how future climate action will be funded – in particular how wealthier countries will give a helping hand to developing countries. The talks are due to wrap up on December 14. Van Ypersele says that the US pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement doesn’t necessarily represent a spanner in the works, stating that the US is “not only what happens in the White House” and that “one shouldn’t give too much attention to what is happening in Washington”. This is because US states can also play their role in combatting climate change – and they do, as with California’s ambitious carbon-reduction targets. 9871a7ae-ffe2-11e8-bf44-005056a92b43Fri, 14 Dec 2018 20:55:31 GMTFRANCE24BELGIUM - UNITED KINGDOMMay fails to get reassurance on Brexit at EU summithttps://www.france24.com/en/20181214-brussels-united-kingdom-brexit-eu-britain-backstop-theresa-may-juncker-ireland-tusk-eu-summBritish Prime Minister Theresa May left the EU summit on Friday exactly as she had arrived – promising talks to extract reassuring words from EU leaders to help her sell the Brexit deal back home.3e09990e-ffcc-11e8-aa84-005056a92b43Fri, 14 Dec 2018 18:15:29 GMTEmmanuel Dunand, AFP | President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (L) talks to Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May as she arrives to attend a European Summit, December 13, 2018.FRANCE 24